If Volkswagen continues to make cars like the latest Golf it will almost certainly achieve its 2018 goal of becoming the number one carmaker in the world. The seventh-generation Golf is a world-beater. There is nothing on the hatchback market that offers as much broad-based appeal, certainly not for the money.

There is nothing singularly outstanding about the car – and that’s the best thing about it. It’s rolling package of quality, refinement, and functional simplicity. Some hatchbacks offer more performance; others perhaps a better ride/handling mix, or a more appealing cabin.

But none match the all-round appeal of the Golf7. Value for money it’s the best hatchback on the planet. The fuel-saving stop-start engines – where the engine cuts out if you’re sitting at a standstill – is one of the smoother examples of the technology.

Good features
Thrifty engines, refinement, ease of use, breadth of ability.

Alastair Sloane has been a newspaper journalist for more than 40 years. He was the motoring editor of the New Zealand Herald for 16 years from 1996 until 2012. He owns a 1968 VW Beetle. Best days at the wheel include doing part of the Land Rover Camel Trophy route in Papua New Guinea, driving a Nissan Patrol over earthquake-hit roads in Guatemala, and a Ferrari Italia on Enzo’s old hill-climb road in Italy.

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